


Chance Meeting

by pseudorobots



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who: Eighth Doctor Adventures - Various Authors
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 20:53:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9289205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pseudorobots/pseuds/pseudorobots
Summary: A short Fitz and Twelve reunion story. Featuring a stressed Bill.





	1. Chapter 1

Bill was running down the smoke-filled corridor, the sounds of space station under attack by armed aliens not far off. What felt like an earthquake made the entire corridor pitch to one side and Bill slam into the wall. She kept running as it shifted back and the Doctor shouted about “something-something engines failing” and “auxiliary something-something powers” and “Quickly, to the TARDIS! Keep up Bill!”. None of these were helpful. The Doctor did not find that feedback helpful.

”Shouldn’t we be back where we left the TARDIS now? Oh god, they’re getting closer! They were shooting at us Doctor! With guns!”

”Yes, yes, I know, that happens! Yes it does. No time for that now.”

They rounded a corner.

“Here it is, Store Room 3B!”

The Doctor pointed his door-opening doohickey (sonic screwdriver apparently) at the door, pushed the it open and rushed in. He almost ran Bill over when he rushed out again.

”Right, Store Room 4B of course, hurry up Bill!”

Loud space-gun noises were closing in and she opted for running rather than shouting at him. Sparks flew from the ceiling. The floor shook. Running and shouting it was then.

”This is it, the TARDIS is in here!”

The Doctor waved the sonic screwdriver at the door, the floor was shaking again, more sparks from the ceiling and more smoke filling up the corridor. The Doctor pushed at the door.

”Hurry Doctor! Get it open!”

”It’s not opening, it must be deadlocked! Maybe another highly advanced locking process I haven’t encountered yet!”

”What? Why on earth would some space bar have super locks on a stock room? And just one of them?”

”Some _space bar_? I’ll have you know the Ernax Leuing Complex is a very prestigious entertainment complex on one of the biggest trading highways in the system. Luxurious hotels, well-renowned restaurants, _four water slides!_ An excellent travel destination for anyone with an appreciation for the finer things! Really, how about some gratitude for me taking you to these wondrous places?”

” _Well gee,_ thanks for the thrilling experience of running through a burning space station chased by gun-toting maniacs!”

”There you are, was that so hard?”

”Oh just get the door open, they’re almost here!”

”I am trying to open it, it’s not working! Kicking it is not going to help, please, leave this to someone with a wee bit more experience in this sort of thing. Given enough time, there’s not a door I can’t open!”

“Well do it quicker!”

The noise of oncoming guns and angry aliens was now coming from both ends of the corridor. A figure rushed out around the corner and Bill nearly jumped out of her shoes. But the way the figure almost stumbled to its knees and simultaneously almost crashed into the wall told her it was not one of the military-like gun-toting aliens. As he came out of the smoke she could see it was, in fact, the slightly skeezy bartender from upstairs, who had half-heartedly tried to hit on her before she made her quick excuses. He was also gripping a sodden dish towel from the bar, flapping it about in his frantic run. Bill turned back to the Doctor.

”Hurry up! We have to get to the TARDIS _now!_ They must be right behind him, come on!”

”That’s not helpful, I am-” he stopped, looking down the corridor, screwdriver falling to his side.

”What are you doing?! Hurry up!”

The skeezy bartender had stopped as well, just a few meters away from them. The Doctor stared, eyes wide. Closing his open mouth, jaw clenched shut hard, his whole body visibly tensed, he looked absolutely horrified, Bill thought. The skeezy bartender had frozen mid-run, almost doubled over. His mouth was hanging open, shocked look on his scraggly face. Another frozen second, then he opened and closed his mouth as if trying to speak.

”… I… No?… It...”

He seemed to be staring intensely at the Doctor’s face, his eyes.

” … Doctor?”

The man took a hesitating step forward, seemingly unaware he was doing so. It was the Doctor’s turn at a goldfish impression before he spoke.

”...Fitz? You… Fitz?”

Skeezy bartender sprang into motion, practically tackling the Doctor as he crouched his gangly form to squeezee the Doctor in a tight hug, his arms around the Doctor’s back, gripping at his suit, still holding the dirty dish towel. Bill instinctively took a step back, in case this was a serial hugging situation.

The Doctor stood stock-still, yeah not much of a hugger, sorry skeezy bartender guy, Bill thought. But no, apparently the exception was gangly bartenders who looked like they’d ran out of a fire. Which was very probably what had happened, what with the space-bar being a bit on fire, courtesy of the good Doctor.

As the Doctor slowly put his hands on bartender-man’s back, shots hit the wall from around the corner and Bill screamed.

”Doctor! Door! Now!” was all she managed in the way of words.

The scruffy man pulled away from the Doctor, who seemed to remember the sonic screwdriver.

”I thought, I...” started bartender-man, and the aliens and their guns rounded the corner.

”TARDIS?” he shouted, finally sounding appropriately panicked.

”Right! TARDIS! Yes!” the Doctor started fiddling about with the screwdriver again.

Bill, fearing she’d lost her life because of sudden hugging, pushed at the door for all she was worth. It budged slightly. She pushed harder. The Doctor gave his screwdriver an annoyed look and then pushed as well. Skeezy bartender-man screamed behind them. As shots were hitting the floor around them, sparks everywhere, the door finally opened enough. They all squeezed through, bartender-man slammed the door shut again. Behind it were several large crates, which must have fallen down when the ship shook, blocking the door. Bill made a furious face at the Doctor as they all ran up to the TARDIS, he pretended not to know what she meant. The Doctor got his key out and opened the door, quickly rushing in, Bill at this coattails. Bartender-man was staring at the TARDIS, looking awestruck.

”Come on!” Bill shouted, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him inside.


	2. Epilogue

As soon as the doors closed Bill felt safer. Everything was going to be okay now, this time too. She’d have to remember to give the Doctor a right telling off about the whole door business, but first she wanted to know what was going in with this new guy. Now he was slowly walking around the console room, looking around it in awe. 

”The TARDIS, the good old TARDIS,” he said, reaching out to touch the column in the middle of the room. ”It looks different now, but it really is the TARDIS isn’t it? _The_ TARDIS?”

”It is, yes,” the Doctor said, looking at the new guy with the same look on his face as this man had looking at the TARDIS. The humming from the ship got a bit louder as new guy touched the column. He smiled and stood there for a few seconds, then turned towards the Doctor.

“It’s really you, after all. It really is you, Doctor. You changed a bit too.” 

The Doctor smiled a tight smile. Bill thought he looked a bit tense. She felt a bit out of the loop here, and she wasn’t entirely sure the Doctor was just happy to see this guy, he seemed a bit, well, scared perhaps.

“So you guys know each other then? Old pals? And should we take off before they blow the doors in?”

“Nothing can get in the TARDIS when the doors are locked. Practically nothing.”

“Oh right, that’s all well and good then. We’ll just stand here with an army hammering on our doors while you ignore me and have your moment. I’m Bill by the way, hi.”

“Hi,” Said the new guy, giving her an awkward wave before staring at the Doctor again.

“This is Fitz. Fitz, I’m so… I thought, I thought you were...”

“I know. I’m not, I know it would have looked… I knew you’d come for me. I mean, I heard how the Time War ended, that all the Time Lords were gone and I, well I had to give up hope then, at some point,” he looked down at his shoes for a moment, before continuing. “But then I heard, people here were talking, I heard the Time Lords were back, of course you’d be one of them. I knew you’d look for me, that you’d find me. Took your sweet time though!” He laughed, it sounded dangerously close to end up in crying and Bill wondered if she should maybe just hide in a corner or behind the console for a while.

“I... Fitz, I thought you were, I though you were gone. I’m so sorry.” The Doctor was still standing completely still. Fitz didn’t seem to notice how tense he looked.

“And you still looked for me! Really Doc, what’s a year or two, or three? I know you’re not one to loose hope like that.” Fitz said smiling, with tears in his eyes. He went to rub his eyes, seemed to realize he was still holding the soggy bar towel and awkwardly wiped his hands with it a bit. 

“Well,” he said, swinging the towel around as he spoke “I, um, think I’ll have a bit of a lie-down before anything else. Bit of day.”

“Your room is still here,” said the Doctor quickly. 

“I hope she hasn’t put it too far away, help a guy out here,” Fitz said, patting the console. The TARDIS hummed again.

“I’ll be back soon, sorry, I’m just a bit, it’s been a while since I’ve been chased with guns, I’ll get used to it soon enough I bet. I’ll just... It’s good to see you.”

“Yes. You too. I... Get some rest, Fitz.”

Fitz walked out of the room, down one of the corridors, it wasn’t leading the direction where Bill had found the bedrooms, but it felt awkward to say so. She still felt a bit left out, it’s not like the Doctor hadn’t mentioned he’d had other people travel with him before, so she felt a bit childish for feeling suddenly left out. Well she wouldn’t be like that.

“So this is an old friend of yours?”

“Yes. He is.”

“You didn’t say we were looking for anyone.”

The Doctor started fiddling with the buttons on the console.

“Actually, didn’t you say you’d been alone for a while after that time war? You said there’d been no other people like you for a long time.”

No answer.

“Doctor?”

“Best get off before they knock the doors down, eh?” 

“You weren’t looking for him were you?”

“And we’re off!” 

The floor shook and TARDIS made the now familiar noises of taking off.

“You should get some rest Bill, we’ll head somewhere less hostile tomorrow, I know of several planets entirely without lifeforms that we could give a go, that might do it.”

“Doctor…” He still had his back to her. “You have to tell him.”

“I know that, Bill. Get some rest.”

Bill knew there was no point in carrying on, so she headed for the bedroom she'd claimed as hers, feeling a bit strange that there was another person wandering somewhere in the TARDIS.


End file.
